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From: deb5@ellis.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Re: The whole language tree thing.
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Date: Sat, 16 Sep 1995 02:36:01 GMT
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In article <AC7F815C966813DB1@yarn.demon.co.uk>,
Paul Talacko <taka@yarn.demon.co.uk> wrote:
[much deleted]
>However, French is very strongly influenced by Germanic and the reason
>modern French differs substantially from the other Romance languages is
>because of the strong influence on pronunciation of this "superstrate" for
>want of a better word.
>
>This can be seen in words such as:
>fr: avoir,  it: avere		Rumanian: a avea (rising diphthong)
>fr: fait ,  it: fa[tto]	Catalan:  fet (from earlier *fait)

Could you clarify exactly how you think Germanic influence is responsible
for diphthongisation in French?  While your at it, you might want to 
compare it to a Romance language less artificially conservative than 
Modern Standard Italian.

-- 
	 Daniel "Da" von Brighoff    /\          Dilettanten
	(deb5@midway.uchicago.edu)  /__\         erhebt Euch
				   /____\      gegen die Kunst!
